Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hermetic sealing cap, an electronic component housing package, and a method for manufacturing a hermetic sealing cap, and more particularly, it relates to a hermetic sealing cap bonded with an electronic component housing member through solder, an electronic component housing package employing the hermetic sealing cap, and a method for manufacturing the hermetic sealing cap.
Description of the Background Art
A hermetic sealing cap bonded with an electronic component housing member through solder is known in general, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 4-096256 (1992), for example.
FIG. 5 of the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 4-096256 discloses a metal hermetic sealing cap made of a material obtained by cladding Alloy 42(42 Ni—Fe alloy) and nickel, bonded to a package. In an entire region inside a ring-shaped sealing region formed at and near an outer end of a sealing surface of a cap body of this metal hermetic sealing cap, the nickel is oxidized by a laser. Thus, the wettability to solder is reduced in the entire region inside the ring-shaped sealing region.
Although in the metal hermetic sealing cap described in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 4-096256, the nickel in the entire region inside the ring-shaped sealing region is oxidized, the nickel in the sealing region is not oxidized, so that the wettability to solder remains high. When the metal hermetic sealing cap is bonded to the package, therefore, part of melted solder may protrude outward from the outer end and ascend the outer surface of the metal hermetic sealing cap. In this case, the amount of solder in the sealing region is reduced, and hence the sealability is not sufficiently ensured.